MAKKAH: With the onset of summer which last year saw temperatures in Makkah rising to as high as 50 degrees Centigrade, the Grand Mosque in Makkah is to have installed new cooling systems to ease the woes of worshippers. The General Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques has announced that it is to install 48 new cooling spray ventilator fans at six locations in the mosque which will come into operation automatically when temperatures reach 30 degrees. The General Presidency said in a statement that its President General, Sheikh Salih Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Hussayyen, had ordered a study to look into improving temperature and ventilation conditions at prayer times, and the conclusions recommended fans fitted with water pipes functioning on their own pumping systems. Each of the six locations identified are provided with eight high-capacity fans covering their vicinities. “The system will operate for half an hour before prayer times and for half an hour when temperatures reach 30 degrees Centigrade,” Al-Hussayyen said. “During the seasons (Ramadan and Haj) they will be on automatic, operating 24 hours a day, pausing for two minutes every eight minutes during long periods of operation.” The General Presidency said that the system is under trial, and if deemed a success will be extended to other courtyard areas.
